Is Quitting Spotify A Moral Imperative?
Or is perfect the enemy of the good?
If there’s one thing we’re obsessed with on the left, it’s being as ethical as possible.
If there are two things we’re obsessed with, it’s making sure everybody knows just how ethical we’re being.
That leaves very little room for imperfection.
A year ago, I wrote about my failed attempt to quit Spotify. With every ICE ad and AI-generated track, using the behemoth streaming platform becomes less and less defensible. And yet even as I watch many others (very publicly) cancel their subscriptions, and even as my own guilt accumulates to a fever pitch, I’m still forking over my monthly fee.
How can I – how can anyone – possibly justify it?
Increasingly, the implication1 is that it’s not possible. Either you stop using Spotify (and probably all streaming), or you don’t care about artists, full stop. In other words, divesting has moved from the realm of “preferable” to “morally mandatory”.
I saw a TikTok (stay with me) a while back that questioned the familiar refrain: “I’d be vegan except for the …
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